Ifa
The Yoruba system of divination and sacred verse, led by babalawo, with 256 signs called odu.
Also: ifá, orunmila, odu, ikin
Ifá is the divination system and body of oral literature associated with Orunmila, the orisha of wisdom. A babalawo casts palm nuts, ikin, or an opele chain, and the pattern marks one of 256 odu, each tied to verses, ese, with stories, advice and offerings. The client hears the verses and chooses the action prescribed. The corpus is vast and learned over years of apprenticeship. UNESCO proclaimed the Ifá divination system a masterpiece of intangible heritage in 2005. Ifá is also a part of Santeria in Cuba, where it is practised by a separate priesthood, and in Brazil and the United States. Details of initiation and of the odu are held within the priesthood.